Toy block



Patented Nov. 12, 1935 n UNITED- STATES PATENT "oFFICE TOY BLOCK TheodoreV H. Miller, Walla. Walla, Wash. Application July 25, 1933, serial No. 682,047

6 claims. (o1. i6- 35; Y

This invention relates to toys and seeks to provide toy building blocks formed of wood, metal or any other suitable material in a variety of shapes each susceptible of slidable and frictional union with the others in a Variety of manners.

It further seeks to provide a container for the blocks with exposed locking joinder elements on all exterior surfaces, said elements being of such nature as to permit of the interlocking attachment of the blocks thereto as either a base or portion of thetoy structure.

With these or other objects in view reference is now had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is an isometric projection of the container;

Figure2 is an isometric projection of a block shape termed a panel block;

Figure 3 is an isometric projection of another shape termed a sho-rt T block;

Figure 4 is an isometric projection of a long T block;

Figure 5 is an isometric projection of another shape termed a short clip block;

Figure 6 is an isometric projection of a long clip block;

Figure 7 is an isometric projection indicating some of the manners in which the various blocks may be joined together.

The container, Figure 1, is a ve sided box assembled from the desired material in such man ner as to leave exposed for interlocking union with the blocks, all of the joinder elements external thereof. The joinder elements are of the interlocking projection and complemental recess type, and may be of a T, L, round, half-round, or the preferable dove-tail shape shown.

Although these joinder elements and the ar-V rangement thereor" will depend upon the joinder elements carried by the blocks they will preferably consist of dovevtail grooves I and dove tail half tongues 2 of such dimension that two half tongues side by side will form a completed dove tail 3 of such size as to frictionally slide into the dove tail groove I L elements is shown in the. end view, aiorded by Figure l, of the uppermost box side.

The panel block, Figure 2, is preferably a `triangular block whose diagonal is substantially as shown. It is of nominal thickness and patterned alike on both opposed surfaces in such manner Y that joinder elements are formed thereon, consisting preferably of a dove tail half tongue parallel the longitudinal edge ,of the block and a parallel dove tail groove substantially as shown.

The T blocks,'Figure 3 and Figure 4, are formed The preferable arrangement of joinder in the shape of a T, the base of the T constituting a dove tail of size suitable to frictionally slide into the dove tail groove I heretofore mentioned, the horns of the T 4 constituting dove tail half tongues as heretofore mentioned, and of varied 5 length with the above joinder elements extending the full length.

The clip blocks are of varied length, as shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6, of nominal thickness, and are patterned on the two opposed surfaces in 10 such manner that joinder elements are formed thereon, consisting. of one or more dove tail grooves I. It is intended'that they also be formed so that the two sides of each dove tail groove I also form dove tail half tongues 2 as above 15 mentioned. Y

It is now apparent that two panel blocks, so

y placed that the side 5 of each .adjoins the side 5 of the other, may be held in such position by sliding the dove tail 3 so formed into the dove 20 tail groove I l of a clip block, an additional panel block, or of any of the container surfaces. In like manner the dove tail groove I wherever found may be used to join the combination of a panel block and a T block, a panel block and a clip block, two T blocks, two clip blocks, a T block and a clip block, or a dove tail half tongue on any container surface 4and any of the above.

It is also apparent that two clip blocks, so

placed end to end that the dove tail groove I is continuous, may be held in such position by sliding the base of a T block in to the dove tail groove so that the T block overlays both clip blocks. In like manner the dove tail base of the 1- mock may be used to join two panel 35 blocks, a panel block and a clip block, or either in combination with a container surface.

It is further apparent that aside from the function of interlocking union any of the blocks may be used .as simple ornamentation of the toy structure.

Figure 7 illustrates some of the above manners in which the blocks may be combined. While the detail drawing of the blo'cks illustrates pieces having joinder elements formed in opposite sides thereof, it must be understood that the sides of the container constitute blocks and that a full set of blocks includes pieces of similar cross section. It must .also be understood that the separate pieces may be utilized to form extensions for the live planes occupied by the box sides, and these planes can be extended in either of two directions. That is to say, -any given piece may be slidably joined to the exterior of the box and frictionally held either within the limits of HOT the box sides or in any of ten possible directions therefrom, in addition to being capable of assuming two or more positions in each of the ten directions.

In the construction of the container, as well as the blocks, but one type of blank is employed and this is substantially shown in Fig. 1, although of double the thickness. That is to say, when the blank is formed it is grooved on both sides (as shown in Fig. 2) and certain portions of it are halved to form smooth faced. box sides and blocks, some of which are again slit longitudinally and diagonally, as well as being shortened to provide the desired variety of shapes.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. In a set of toy blocks, a container for the blocks formed in such manner as to expose on all exterior surfaces interlocking joinder elements consisting of interlocking recees and partial interlocking projections substantially as shown.

2. A box for building blocks comprising a plurality of sides and a bottom having flat inner surfaces and having undercut joinder grooves formed in the outer surfaces thereof, the grooves of each set having substantially the same length as the distance between the innermost sides of corresponding opposite grooves for the purpose of preventing the material in one sei; of blocks from obstructing the grooves formed in an adjacent side of the box. A

3. In a. set of toy blocks, a block shaped like a T, the base of the T constituting a dove tail tongue and each projection thereof forming a half dove tail tongue, two of which tongues side by side will form a complete dove tail of like size to that forming the base of the T.

4. In a set of toy blocks having an elongated 5 unit of T cross section the under side of the lateral projections of which are undercut to form one half of a dove tail tongue so that when two of said T shaped members are placed with their top sides in contact with each other the 10 lateral edges thereof will unite to form complete dove tail tongues wherein the half tongues of one block are one half of the full size tongues on the same or similar blocks.

5.` A box for interlocking building blocks havl5 ing joinder grooves formed on the outer sides thereof, the ends of said grooves being open, each box side having three parallel grooves along its entire length, the intermediate groove constituting a complete dove tail having undercut 20 edges and the. lateral grooves having their outer edges undercut to form one half of a dove tail tongue while the opposite edge thereof slopes downwardly from the bottom of the lateral groove toward the adjacent edge of the central groove 25 the outermost half grooves constituting one half of the full size of a complete dovetail which is formed on the building blocks for which this box serves as a container.

6. The box structure described in claim 5 in 30 which the bottom of the box is comprised of a. plurality of the side elements also having the THEODORE H. MILLER 

